Method for manufacturing sheet laminate, mold for molding sheet laminate, and sheet laminate

ABSTRACT

A method for manufacturing a sheet laminate to be affixed to an adherent surface of an object, the method comprising preparing a sheet member having a front surface to become a design surface and a rear surface on which an adhesive part has been formed, bending an edge part of the sheet member by sandwiching the sheet member from a front surface side and a rear surface side in a mold, and heating a part of a bent sheet member. The sheet laminate has a flat part spreading out in a flat plate shape, a side surface on which the edge part bent by the bending step is configured, and a connecting surface protruding and curving toward the front surface side between the flat part and the side surface, and in the heating step, the connecting surface is partially heated after the side surface is molded in the bending step.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a sheetlaminate, a mold for molding a sheet laminate, and a sheet laminate.

BACKGROUND

A molding method called stamping is known as a conventional method formanufacturing a sheet laminate (for example, see Japanese Patent JP2015-229279). In particular, a processing method for sandwiching a sheetin a heated mold and then bending the sheet is referred to as heatstamping.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Thus, there is a requirement to bend an edge part of a sheet laminatehaving an adhesive part on a rear surface and a protective sheet on afront surface. However, this presents a problem in that when heatstamping like that described above is performed with respect to thistype of sheet laminate, the adhesive part, a liner, and the protectivesheet peel away during molding. There is a demand to resolve this typeof problem by manufacturing a bent sheet laminate.

A method for manufacturing a sheet laminate according to an embodimentof the present invention is a method for manufacturing a sheet laminateto be affixed to an adherent surface of an object and is provided with apreparing step for preparing a sheet member having a front surface tobecome a design surface and a rear surface on which an adhesive part hasbeen formed, a bending step for bending an edge part of the sheet memberby sandwiching the sheet member from a front surface side and a rearsurface side in a mold, and a partial heating step for heating a part ofa bent sheet member, where the sheet laminate has a flat surface partspreading out in a flat plate shape, a side surface on which the edgepart bent by the bending step is configured, and a connecting surfaceprotruding and curving toward the front surface side between the flatsurface part and the side surface, and in the partial heating step, theconnecting surface is partially heated after the side surface is moldedin the bending step.

With this kind of embodiment, the sheet laminate has the flat surfacepart spreading out in a flat plate shape, the side surface on which theedge part bent by the bending step is configured, and the connectingsurface protruding and curving toward the front surface side between theflat surface part and the side surface. After the sheet member has beenbent into this kind of shape in the bending step, the connecting surfaceis partially heated in the partial heating step. When the sheet memberis molded in a state where the adhesive part has been formed, theadhesive part becomes susceptible to peeling in a position correspondingto the connecting surface that deforms so as to curve in the bendingstep. Accordingly, distortion in said part can be removed by performinga partial annealing process through partial heating of the connectingsurface. Therefore, adhesive part peeling can be prevented and a goodquality sheet laminate can be manufactured. A bent sheet laminate can beprovided as described above.

With a method for manufacturing a sheet laminate according to anotherembodiment, a main body part for configuring the flat surface part ofthe sheet laminate, and a pair of side wall parts extending respectivelytoward the rear surface side from a pair of mutually intersecting mainbody part side parts are molded by the bending step, where the sidesurface has a first side surface corresponding to one side wall part ofthe pair of side wall parts, a second side surface corresponding to theother side wall part of the pair of side wall parts, and a third sidesurface forming a roundness having a predetermined curvature formed in acorner part between the first side surface and the second side surface,and the connecting surface has a first connecting surface for connectingthe flat surface part and the first side surface, a second connectingsurface for connecting the flat surface part and the second sidesurface, and a third connecting surface for connecting the flat surfacepart and the third side surface.

In the method for manufacturing a sheet laminate according to anotherembodiment, the connecting surface is exposed from the mold in thepartial heating step, and partial heating is performed by applying heatto the connecting surface from outside the mold.

In the method for manufacturing a sheet laminate according to anotherembodiment, partial heating is performed in the partial heating stepthrough a part in the mold that makes contact with the connectingsurface.

In the method for manufacturing a sheet laminate according to anotherembodiment, heat going to the flat surface part and the side surface maybe insulated in the partial heating step.

In the method for manufacturing a sheet laminate according to anotherembodiment, the sheet member may also be provided with a release linercovering the adhesive part of the rear surface of the sheet member.

A mold for molding the sheet laminate according to an embodiment of thepresent invention is a mold for molding a sheet laminate to be affixedto an adherent surface of an object. The mold is provided with a firstunit for supporting a sheet member, having a front surface to become adesign surface and a rear surface where an adhesive part is formed, froma front surface side, and a second unit for supporting the sheet memberfrom a rear surface side; where the first unit and the second unit areable to mold a main body part spreading in a flat plate shape and a pairof side wall parts extending respectively toward a rear surface sidefrom a pair of mutually intersecting main body part side parts bysandwiching the sheet member and bending an edge part of the sheetmember; and where, when the front surface has a flat surface partcorresponding to the main body part, a first side surface correspondingto one side wall part of the pair of side wall parts, a second sidesurface corresponding to the other side wall part of the pair of sidewall parts, and a third side surface forming a roundness having apredetermined curvature formed in a corner part between the first sidesurface and the second side surface, a first connecting surfaceprotruding curving toward the front surface side for connecting the flatsurface part and the first side surface, a second connecting surfaceprotruding curving toward the front surface side for connecting the flatsurface part and the second side surface, and a third connecting surfaceprotruding curving toward the front surface side for connecting the flatsurface part and the third side surface; the first unit supports theflat surface part, the first side surface, the second side surface, andthe third side surface in a state where the first connecting surface,the second connecting surface and the third connecting surface areexposed.

The mold for molding the sheet laminate according to an embodiment ofthe present invention is a mold for molding a sheet laminate to beaffixed to an adherent surface of an object. The mold is provided with afirst unit for supporting a sheet member, having a front surface tobecome a design surface and a rear surface where an adhesive part isformed, from a front surface side, and a second unit for supporting thesheet member from a rear surface side; where the first unit and thesecond unit are able to mold a main body part spreading in a flat plateshape sandwich in the sheet laminate and a pair of side wall parts eachextending toward a rear surface side from a pair mutually intersectingmain body part side parts by sandwiching the sheet member and bending anedge part of the sheet member; and where, when the front surface has aflat surface part corresponding to the main body part, a first sidesurface corresponding to one of the side wall parts of the pair of sidewall parts, a second side surface corresponding to the other of the sidewall parts of the pair of side wall parts, and a third side surfaceforming a roundness having a predetermined curvature formed in a cornerpart between the first side surface and the second side surface, a firstconnecting surface protruding curving toward the front surface side forconnecting the flat surface part and the first side surface, a secondconnecting surface protruding curving toward the front surface side forconnecting the flat surface part and the second side surface, and athird connecting surface protruding curving toward the front surfaceside for connecting the flat surface part and the third side surface;the first unit is provided with a heating part for heating a part incontact with the first connecting surface, the second connecting surfaceand the third connecting surface, and an insulating part for insulatinga space between the flat surface part, the first side surface, thesecond side surface, and the third side surface.

A sheet laminate according to an embodiment of the present invention isa sheet laminate that is to be affixed to an adherent surface of anobject and has a flat surface part that spreads out in a flat plateshape, a side surface configured by a bent edge of the flat surfacepart, and a connecting surface protruding and curving toward a frontsurface side between the flat surface part and the side surface, where apart configuring the flat surface part, the side surface, and theconnecting surface is configured of a base material part having a frontsurface that is to become a design surface and a rear surface on a sideopposite the front surface, an adhesive layer formed on the rear surfaceof the base material part, and a release liner layer covering theadhesive layer that can be peeled from the adhesive layer.

The sheet laminate according to another embodiment is provided with amain body part for configuring the flat surface part, and a pair of sidewall parts extending respectively toward the rear surface side from apair of mutually intersecting main body part side parts; where the sidesurface has a first side surface corresponding to one side wall part ofthe pair of side wall parts, a second side surface corresponding to theother side wall part of the pair of side wall parts, and a third sidesurface forming a roundness having a predetermined curvature formed in acorner part between the first side surface and the second side surface;and where the connecting surface may have a first connecting surface forconnecting the flat surface part and the first side surface, a secondconnecting surface for connecting the flat surface part and the secondside surface, and a third connecting surface for connecting the flatsurface part and the third side surface.

With the sheet laminate according to another embodiment, the third sidesurface forms the aforementioned roundness protruding toward the frontsurface side, and the curvature of the roundness may have a radius of 1to 2000 mm. With the sheet laminate according to another embodiment, thethird side surface forms the aforementioned roundness protruding towardthe rear surface side, and the curvature of the roundness may have aradius of 0.5 to 2000 mm.

In the sheet laminate according to another embodiment, a base materiallayer may be covered with a biaxially extended protective film layer.

In the sheet laminate according to another embodiment, the release linerlayer may be configured using a biaxially extended film.

In the sheet laminate according to another embodiment, the adhesivelayer may be configured using an acrylic pressure-sensitive adhesive.

In the sheet laminate according to another embodiment, the base materiallayer may be configured using a polycarbonate. According to the presentinvention, a bent sheet laminate can be provided.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a sheet laminate as seen from a design surfaceside.

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view along line II-II illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3(a) is a perspective view illustrating a positive curve surfaceconfiguration of the sheet laminate.

FIG. 3(b) is a perspective view illustrating a negative curve surfaceconfiguration of the sheet laminate.

FIG. 4 is a drawing illustrating steps of a method for manufacturing thesheet laminate.

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view illustrating a mold according to apresent embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the mold illustrated in FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view illustrating the operation of a mold inthe method for manufacturing the sheet laminate.

FIG. 8 is a cross sectional view illustrating the operation of a mold inthe method for manufacturing the sheet laminate.

FIG. 9 is a cross sectional view illustrating the operation of a mold inthe method for manufacturing the sheet laminate.

FIG. 10 is a cross sectional view illustrating the operation of a moldin the method for manufacturing the sheet laminate.

FIG. 11 is a cross sectional view illustrating a mold according to amodified example.

FIG. 12 is a cross sectional view illustrating a mold according to amodified example.

FIG. 13 is a cross sectional view illustrating a mold according to amodified example.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Detailed descriptions of embodiments according to the present inventionare given below with reference to the attached drawings. Note that, inthe following descriptions, the same reference symbols have beenassigned to elements that are the same or equivalent, and that redundantdescriptions thereof have been omitted.

A sheet laminate 1 according to an embodiment of the present inventionwill be described with reference to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. FIG. 1 is a planview of a sheet laminate as seen from a design surface side. FIG. 2 is across sectional view along the Line II-II illustrated in FIG. 1. A sheetlaminate 1 according to the present embodiment is a member to be affixedto an adherent surface of any object. The sheet laminate 1 has a frontsurface to become a design surface, and a rear surface to become asticking surface for the object. This allows the sheet laminate 1 tocover the object so that the design surface faces outward. Examples ofobjects to which the sheet laminate can be affixed include a vehiclecenter pillar, rear pillar, door sash, and the like. A sheet memberhaving the surface to become a design surface and a rear surface onwhich an adhesive part 3 is formed is prepared for the sheet laminate 1,which is a molded product formed by bending an edge of the sheet memberusing a mold. The configuration of the sheet laminate 1, which is afinished product, will be described here in detail, after that, themethod for manufacturing the sheet laminate 1, and the mold used in saidmethod, will also be described in detail.

As illustrated in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the sheet laminate 1 is providedwith a main body part 11, and a side wall part 12. The main body part 11is a part spreading out in a flat plate shape taking any form. In thepresent embodiment, the main body part 11 has a rectangular shape whenseen from a thickness direction. However, the shape of the main bodypart 11 when seen from the thickness direction is not particularlylimited, and thus may form a long rectangular shape, a T shape, or across shape. In FIG. 1, the main body part 11 has four side parts 11 a,11 b, 11 c, and 11 k. Here, the sides 11 a and 11 b are orthogonal toone another, the sides 11 b and 11 c are orthogonal to one another, thesides 11 k and 11 a are orthogonal to one another, and the sides 11 kand 11 c are orthogonal to one another, and the intersecting angles arenot particularly limited. Furthermore, a curved part 11 d is formed byforming a roundness facing outward at a prescribed curvature in a cornerwhere the side part 11 a and the side part 11 b intersect. A curved part11 e is formed by forming a roundness facing outward at a prescribedcurvature in a corner where the side part 11 b and the side part 11 cintersect.

The side wall part 12 is a wall part extending toward a rear surfaceside from each of the side parts 11 a, 11 b, and 11 c of the main bodypart 11. The side wall part 12 is also formed in positions correspondingto the curved parts 11 d and 11 e of the main body part 11.Specifically, a side wall part 12A is formed in the side part 11 a ofthe main body part 11, a side wall part 12B is formed in the side part11 b thereof, and a side wall part 12C is formed in the side part 11 cthereof. Furthermore, a side wall part 12D is formed in the curved part11 d of the main body, and a side wall part 12E is formed in a curvedpart 11 e thereof. The side wall parts 12A through 12E are connectedtogether so as to surround the main body part 11 in a continuousfashion. That is, the side wall part 12A corresponding to the side part11 a and the side wall part 12D corresponding to the curved part 11 dare integrally connected. The side wall part 12D corresponding to thecurved part 11 d and the side wall part 12B corresponding to side partllb are also integrally connected. The side wall part 12B correspondingto the side part 11 b and the side wall part 12E corresponding to curvedpart 11 e are also integrally connected. The side wall part 12Ecorresponding to the curved part 11 e and the side wall part 12Ccorresponding to side part 11 c are also integrally connected. Note thatwhile no side wall part is formed in a position corresponding to theside part 11 k in the embodiment of FIG. 1, such a part may be formed.

Furthermore, a connecting part 13 is formed between the main body part11 and the side wall part 12, and curves so as to protrude toward afront surface side. Connecting parts 13A, 13B, 13C, 13D, and 13E areformed between the main body part 11 and the side wall parts 12A, 12B,12C, 12D, and 12E, respectively. The connecting parts 13A, 13B, 13C,13D, and 13E are integrally connected to the main body part 11 and tothe side wall parts 12A, 12B, 12C, 12D, and 12E.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the sheet laminate 1 (also referred to asmolded sheet laminate 1) is provided with a base material part (basematerial layer) 2, an adhesive part (adhesive layer) 3, a release liner(release liner layer) 4, and a protective film (protective film layer)6. Furthermore, the sheet laminate 1 is configured by molding, as-is, asheet member formed by laminating the base material part 2, the adhesivepart 3, the release liner 4, and the protective film 6. Accordingly, themain body part 11, the side wall part 12, and the connecting part 13 areeach provided with the base material part 2, the adhesive part 3, therelease liner 4, and the protective film 6.

The base material part 2 is a member that forms a base for the sheetlaminate 1. The base material part 2 has a front surface 2 a to become adesign surface, and a rear surface 2 b on a side opposite the frontsurface 2 a. The base material part 2 is configured from a material,such as polycarbonate, PET, ABS resin, and the like. Furthermore, athickness of the base material part 2 is not particularly limited, andthus may be 0.2 to 1.5 mm.

Furthermore, a surface treatment using, for example, polyurethane,acrylic, or the like, is applied to the front surface 2 a to become thedesign surface.

The adhesive part 3 is a member for joining the sheet laminate 1 to anobject by adhering to said object. The adhesive part 3 is laminated ontothe rear surface 2 b of the base material part 2. The adhesive part 3 islaminated onto the rear surface 2 b of the base material part 2 so as tocover nearly the entire surface thereof. Of the surfaces of the adhesivepart 3, an adhesive surface 3 a functions as a surface on a sideopposite the base material part 2. The adhesive part 3 is configuredfrom a material, such as acrylic, rubber, and the like. Morespecifically, the adhesive layer may be configured using an acrylicpressure-sensitive adhesive. Furthermore, a thickness of the adhesivepart 3 is not particularly limited, and thus may be 0.005 to 0.4 mm.

The release liner 4 is a member for protecting the adhesive part 3. Therelease liner 4 covers the entire surface of the adhesive surface 3 a ofthe adhesive part 3. When the sheet laminate 1 is adhered to an object,the release liner 4 is peeled from the adhesive part 3 to thus exposethe adhesive part 3. The release liner 4 may be configured using abiaxially extended film. For example, the release liner 4 is providedwith a release layer of silicone, and the like, on a biaxially extendedmaterial, such as PET, PEN, or the like, and a polyolefin layer of PE,or the like, may also be provided there between. Furthermore, athickness of the release liner 4 is not particularly limited, and thusmay be 0.01 to 0.3 mm.

Because the protective film 6 covers the front surface 2 a of the basematerial part 2, said film serves as a member for protecting the frontsurface 2 a, which is the design surface. The protective film 6 is abiaxially extended film. That is, while the front surface 2 a in theconnecting part 13 of the base material part 2 deforms so as to stretchsomewhat when the sheet laminate 1 is molded from a sheet member state,there is only a small degree of following. The material of theprotective film 6 is configured from PET, PEN, or the like. Furthermore,a thickness of the protective film 6 is not particularly limited, andthus may be 0.005 to 0.3 mm.

A surface configuration of the design surface (that is, the frontsurface 2 a of the base material part 2) of the sheet laminate 1 will bedescribed next. The sheet laminate 1 has a flat surface part 20spreading out in a flat plate shape, a side surface 21 on which a bentedge part of the flat surface part 20 is configured, and a connectingsurface 22 protruding and curving toward the front surface 2 a sidebetween the flat surface part 20 and the side surface 21. The flatsurface part 20 is formed on a part corresponding to the main body part11 portion of the front surface 2 a. The side surface 21 is formed on apart corresponding to the side wall parts 12A through 12E portion of thefront surface 2 a. The connecting surface 22 is formed on partscorresponding to the connecting parts 13A through 13E portion of thefront surface 2 a.

The surface configuration of the sheet laminate 1 is described infurther detail below with reference to FIG. 3(a). Note that while FIG.3(a) illustrates a configuration in the vicinity of the side wall part12C, the side wall part 12B, and the side wall part 12E, the same gistholds for descriptions of different parts so long as a pair of mutuallyintersecting side walls 12 is provided.

As illustrated in FIG. 3(a), the flat surface part 20 corresponds to themain body part 11, and forms a primary surface, that is, a flat surface.The side surface 21 has a first side surface 21B corresponding to theside wall part 12B, which is one of the pair made up of the side wallparts 12B and 12C, a second side surface 21C corresponding to the sidewall part 12C, which is the other of said pair, and a third side surface21E corresponding to the side wall part 12E that forms a roundness. Thefirst side surface 21B and the second side surface 21C form a primarysurface, that is, a flat surface. The third side surface 21E is formedin a corner between the first side surface 21B and the second sidesurface 21C, and is a surface for forming a roundness having apredetermined curvature. The third side surface 21E forms a secondarysurface, that is, a curved surface having a component bent withreference to a single axis. When seen from a thickness direction of themain body part 11, the third side surface 21E forms a roundnessprotruding toward the front surface side. A radius of a curvature of theroundness is 1 to 2000 mm. The connecting surface 22 has a firstconnecting surface 22B for connecting the flat surface part 20 and thefirst side surface 21B, a second connecting surface 22C for connectingthe flat surface part 20 and the second side surface 21C, and a thirdconnecting surface 22E for connecting the flat surface part 20 and thethird side surface 21E. The first connecting surface 22B is a secondarysurface corresponding to a connecting part 13B. When seen from athickness direction of the side wall part 12C, the first connectingsurface 22B forms a roundness protruding toward the front surface side.A radius of a curvature of the roundness is 0.5 to 200 mm. The secondconnecting surface 22C is a secondary surface corresponding to aconnecting part 13C. When seen from a thickness direction of the sidewall part 12B, the second connecting surface 22C forms a roundnessprotruding toward the front surface side. A radius of a curvature of theroundness is 0.5 to 200 mm. The third connecting surface 22E is atertiary surface corresponding to a connecting part 13E. The tertiarysurface forms a curved surface having a component bent with reference totwo axes. The third connecting surface 22E has a curved component of thethird side surface 21E and a curved component of the first connectingsurface 22B and the second connecting surface 22C.

Note that “first side surface” and “second side surface” are expedientnames for clearly describing a structure and thus may be a first sidesurface 21C and a second side surface 21B. Accordingly, these aresometimes referred to in the following description simply as “sidesurface” without distinguishing between “first side surface” and “secondside surface.” Furthermore, “first connecting surface” and “secondconnecting surface” are also expedient names for clearly describing astructure and thus may be a first connecting surface 22C and a secondconnecting surface 22B. Accordingly, these are sometimes referred to inthe following description simply as “connecting surface” withoutdistinguishing between “first connecting surface” and “second connectingsurface.”

A structure in a case where a third side surface protrudes toward thefront surface side and thus draws a so-called positive curve wasdescribed using FIG. 3(a). However, this may also be a structure wherethe third side surface protrudes toward the rear surface side and thusdraws a so-called negative curve. Specifically, the structureillustrated in FIG. 3(b) may be used. As illustrated in FIG. 3(b), aside wall part 12H forming a roundness so as to protrude toward the rearsurface side is formed by a corner between a pair of side wall parts 12Eand 12G that extend straight from said corner. Furthermore, connectingparts 13F, 13G, and 13H are formed between the main body part 11 and theside wall parts 12F, 12G and 12H, respectively.

In the configuration of FIG. 3(b), the side surface 21 has a first sidesurface 21F corresponding to the side wall part 12F, which is one of thepair made up of the side wall parts 12F and 12G, a second side surface21G corresponding to the side wall part 12G, which is the other of saidpair, and a third side surface 21H corresponding to the side wall part12H that forms a roundness. The first side surface 21F and the secondside surface 21G form a primary surface, that is, a flat surface. Thethird side surface 21H is formed in a corner between the first sidesurface 21F and the second side surface 21G, and is a surface forforming a roundness having a predetermined curvature. The third sidesurface 21H forms a secondary surface, that is, a curved surface havinga component bent with reference to a single axis. When seen from athickness direction of the main body part 11, the third side surface 21Hforms a roundness protruding toward the rear surface side. A radius of acurvature of the roundness is 0.5 to 2000 mm. The connecting surface 22has a first connecting surface 22F connecting the flat surface part 20and the first side surface 21F, a second connecting surface 22Gconnecting the flat surface part 20 and the second side surface 21G, anda third connecting surface 22H connecting the flat surface part 20 andthe third side surface 21H. The first connecting surface 22F is asecondary surface corresponding to a connecting part 13F. When seen froma thickness direction of the side wall part 12G, the first connectingsurface 22F forms a roundness protruding toward the front surface side.A radius of a curvature of the roundness is 0.5 to 200 mm. The secondconnecting surface 22G is a secondary surface corresponding to aconnecting part 13G. When seen from a thickness direction of the sidewall part 12F, the second connecting surface 22G forms a roundnessprotruding toward the front surface side. A radius of a curvature of theroundness is 0.5 to 200 mm. The third connecting surface 22H is atertiary surface corresponding to a connecting part 13H. The tertiarysurface forms a curved surface having a component bent with reference totwo axes. The third connecting surface 22H has a curved component of thethird side surface 21H and a curved component of the first connectingsurface 22F and the second connecting surface 22G.

The method for manufacturing the sheet laminate 1 according to thepresent embodiment and a mold 100 for molding the sheet laminate 1 aredescribed next with reference to FIG. 4 through FIG. 10.

A configuration of the mold 100 for molding the sheet laminate 1 will bedescribed first. The mold 100 is a mold for molding the sheet laminate 1to be affixed to an adherent surface of an object. As illustrated inFIG. 5, the mold 100 is provided with a first unit 110 a second unit120. The first unit is a unit for supporting a sheet member 50, having afront surface 50 a to become a design surface and a rear surface 50 b onwhich the adhesive part 3 is formed, from the front surface 50 a side.The second unit 120 is a unit for supporting the sheet member 50 fromthe rear surface 50 b side. The first unit 110 and the second unit 120are able to mold the main body part 11 spreading in a flat plate shapeportion of the sheet laminate 1, and the side wall parts 12 extendingrespectively toward the rear surface 50 b side from mutuallyintersecting side parts of the main body part 11 by sandwiching thesheet member and bending an edge part of the sheet member 50. Note thatwhat is described here is the mold 100 for molding the sheet laminate 1having the shape illustrated in FIG. 1. That is, this is a descriptionof the mold 100 for molding the sheet laminate 1 having the side wallparts 12A through 12F. However, because the form of the sheet laminate 1is not particularly limited, the configuration of the mold 100 can bechanged appropriately to match the form of the sheet laminate 1.

The first unit 110 is provided with a first piece 111 for supporting theflat surface part 20 of the main body part 11, and a second piece 112for supporting each surface of the side wall part 12. When seen from athickness direction, the first piece 111 is configured as a blockforming a rectangular shape to match the form of the flat surface part20 of the main body part 11 (see FIG. 6). An upper surface of the firstpiece 111 is configured as a supporting surface 113 for making contactwith and thus supporting the flat surface part 20 of the main body part11. When seen from a thickness direction, the second piece 112 isconfigured as a frame member having an opening that matches the form ofthe side surface 21 of the side wall part 12 (see FIG. 6). A third piece121 of the second piece 112 and of the second unit 120 to be describedlater is provided inside the opening of the second piece 112.

An inner circumferential surface of the opening of the second piece 112is configured as a supporting surface 114 for supporting the sidesurface 21 of the side wall part 12. Furthermore, an arranging part 116for arranging the previously molded sheet member 50 is formed near anupper edge of the opening of the second piece 112. The arranging part116 faces an end part of an outer circumferential side of the sheetmember 50, and has an aligning surface 117 for performing alignment in aplane direction of the sheet member 50. The arranging part 116 also hasa guide surface 118 for smoothly guiding (see FIG. 7) the side wall part12 toward the supporting surface 114 side when an edge part of the sheetmember 50 is bent during molding. Note that while the guide surface 118is a curved surface curved so as to protrude outward in the presentembodiment, said surface may be an inclined surface extending in astraight manner.

The second unit 120 is provided with a third piece 121 for pressing thesheet member 50 from the rear surface 50 b side toward the front surface50 a side. A lower surface of the third piece 121 is configured as asupporting surface 122 for pressing the rear surface side of the mainbody part 11 of the sheet laminate 1. Furthermore, an outercircumferential surface of the third piece 121 is configured as asupporting surface 123 for making contact with and thus supporting therear surface side (surface on the opposite side of the side surface 21)of the side wall part 12 of the sheet laminate 1. During molding, theside wall part 12 is sandwiched by the supporting surface 114 of thesecond piece 112 and the supporting surface 123 of the third piece 121(see FIG. 8). Accordingly, a dimension in a horizontal direction gapbetween the supporting surface 114 and the supporting surface 123 is setto a thickness dimension of the side wall part 12.

At least during the execution of a partial heating step to be describedlater, the first unit 110 supports the flat surface part 20 and the sidesurface 21 (first side surface, second side surface, and third sidesurface), in a state where the connecting surface 22 (first connectingsurface, second connecting surface, and third connecting surface) of thesheet laminate 1 is exposed. That is, in FIG. 3(a), the connectingsurfaces 22B, 22C, and 22E are exposed from the first unit 110, and theflat surface part 20 and the side surfaces 21B, 21C, and 21E aresupported by the first unit 110.

A manufacturing step of the method for manufacturing the sheet laminate1 will be described next with reference to FIG. 4. As illustrated inFIG. 4, the method for manufacturing the sheet laminate 1 includes apreparing step S10, a bending step S20, a partial heating step S30, andan extracting step S40.

The preparing step S10 is a step for preparing the sheet member 50. Inthe preparing step S10, the sheet member 50 is pre-cut to a form thatmatches the mold 100. Furthermore, the prepared sheet member 50 isprovided in the arranging part 116 of the second piece 112 of the mold100 (see FIG. 5).

The bending step S20 is a step for bending an edge part of the sheetmember 50 by sandwiching the sheet member 50 from the front surface 50 aside and the rear surface 50 b side. By lowering the third piece 121 ofthe second unit 120 downward in the bending step S20, the rear surface50 b of the sheet member 50 is pressed downward by the supportingsurface 122 (see FIG. 7). At this time, the front surface 50 a of thesheet member 50 may be supported by the supporting surface 113 of thefirst piece 111 of the first unit 110. At this time, an edge part of thesheet member 50 abuts with the guide surface 118 of the arranging part116, which guides said member toward the supporting surface 114 sidewhile thus bending said part toward the rear surface 50 b side.

When the third piece 121 is lowered all the way down, an edge part ofthe sheet member 50 is sandwiched between the supporting surface 114 ofthe first piece 111 of the first unit and the supporting surface 123 ofthe third piece 121 of the second unit (see FIG. 8). This forms the sidewall part 12 of the sheet laminate 1. Furthermore, the rear surface 50 bof the sheet member 50 is sandwiched between the supporting surface 122of the third piece and the supporting surface 113 of the second piece112. This forms the main body part 11 of the sheet laminate 1.Furthermore, by pressing a curved part of a corner of the third piece, acorner between the main body part 11 and the side wall part 12 forms thebent connecting part 13. In this state, the first unit 110 is supportingthe flat surface part 20 and the side surface 21 in a state where theconnecting surface 22 of the sheet laminate 1 is exposed.

The partial heating step S30 is a step for heating part of the bentsheet member 50. The partial heating step S30 heats the connectingsurface 22 exposed from the first unit 110 but does not heat the flatsurface part 20 or the side surface 21 being supported and covered bythe first unit 110 (see FIG. 9). This anneals the bent connecting part13, which was significantly bent in the bending step, to thus removedistortion produced in said part. A predetermined heating device 140 isprovided with respect to the connecting part 13, and the heating device140 supplies heat. The heating device 140 may heat the connectingsurface 22 by supplying, for example, infrared rays (IR), heated air,high pressure steam, or heated liquid. Or, a heating pad itself may bepressed against the connecting surface 22, or housed inside a heatingfurnace for each mold.

After the partial heating step S30 has completed, the extracting stepS40 extracts the sheet laminate 1 from the mold 100 by raising the thirdpiece 121 together with the sheet laminate 1 (see FIG. 10). Note thatafter the partial heating step S30 has completed, the connecting surface22 may be cooled through contact with cooling air, a cooling liquid, ora cooling pad. Or, the connecting surface 22 may be cooled naturally byletting said surface stand. The manufacturing step illustrated in FIG. 4is complete when the extracting step S40 ends.

The operations and effects of the method for manufacturing the sheetlaminate 1, the mold 100 for molding the sheet laminate 1, and the sheetlaminate 1 according to the present invention will be described next.Note that the part illustrated in FIG. 3(a) will be used as an examplefor describing the “flat surface part,” “first side surface,” “secondside surface,” “third side surface,” “first connecting surface,” “secondconnecting surface,” and “third connecting surface” in the followingdescription. However, the same operations and effects can be obtainedfor other parts having the same gist in the sheet laminate 1.

A method for manufacturing a sheet laminate according to a comparativeexample will be described first. Examples of methods for manufacturingaccording to the comparative example include heat stamping whichsandwiches a sheet in a heated mold, and then bends the sheet. However,in cases where an edge part of a sheet member having an adhesive part ona rear surface is bent, a problem occurs when heat stamping is performedwhere the adhesive part peels during molding.

By contrast, with the method for manufacturing the sheet laminate 1according to the present embodiment, the sheet laminate 1 has the flatsurface part 20 spreading out in a flat plate shape, the side surface 21on which an edge part bent by the bending step is configured, and theconnecting surface 22 protruding and curving toward the front surfaceside between the flat surface part 20 and the side surface 21. After thesheet member 50 has been bent into this kind of shape in the bendingstep, the connecting surface 22 is partially heated in the partialheating step. When the sheet member 50 is molded in a state where theadhesive part 3 or the protective film 6 has been formed, the adhesivepart 3 or the protective film 6 become susceptible to peeling in aposition corresponding to the connecting surface 22 that deforms so asto curve in the bending step. Accordingly, distortion in said part canbe removed by partially removing stress (performing an annealingprocess) through partial heating of the connecting surface 22.Therefore, the sheet laminate 1 can be manufactured with good qualitywhile preventing peeling of the adhesive part 3 and the protective film6.

The merits of partially heating the connecting surface 22 will bedescribed here. For example, if stamping is done in a state where theadhesive part 3, the protective film 6, and the release liner 4 havebeen heated and softened, the adhesive part 3 and the protective film 6may displace due to a shear force between molds, which can lead topeeling (the impact from displacement caused by the adhesive part 3 isparticularly significant). To prevent this, heating is performed in astatic state after stamping has been performed without heating.Additionally, movement of a peripheral part (here this is a flat surfacepart or side surface of a periphery of the connecting surface 22), otherthan a major curved part where stress is to be relaxed by heating, issuppressed by keeping said part sandwiched between molds, and this partis also not softened through heating. This makes it possible to preventlayers from peeling due to the displacement of a part (that is a partcorresponding to the connecting surface 22) to be partially heatedsandwiched in the peripheral part.

The method for manufacturing the sheet laminate 1 molds the main bodypart 11 for configuring the flat surface part 20 portion of the sheetlaminate 1, and the pair of side wall parts 12B and 12C extendingrespectively toward the rear surface side from the pair of mutuallyintersecting side parts l lb and 11 c of the main body part 11. In theexample in FIG. 3(a), the side surface 21 has the first side surface 21Bcorresponding to the side wall part 12B, the second side surface 21Ccorresponding to the side wall part 12C, and the third side surface 21Eformed in the corner between the first side surface 21B and the firstside surface 21C forming a roundness having a predetermined curvature.The connecting surface 22 may have the first connecting surface 22Bconnecting the flat surface part 20 and the first side surface 21B, thesecond connecting surface 22C connecting the flat surface part 20 andthe second side surface 21C, and the third connecting surface 22Econnecting the flat surface part 20 and the third side surface 21E.

The connecting surface 22 is exposed from the mold 100 in the partialheating step, and partial heating is performed by applying heat to theconnecting surface 22 from outside the mold 100. This enables theconnecting surface to be partially heated using a simple configuration.

The sheet member 50 is also provided with the release liner 4 forcovering the adhesive part 3 of the rear surface 50 b of the sheetmember 50. This enables molding to be performed in a state where theadhesive part 3 is protected.

The mold 100 for molding the sheet laminate 1 is the mold 100 formolding the sheet laminate 1 to be affixed to the adherent surface of anobject, and is provided with the first unit 110 for supporting the sheetmember 50, having the front surface 50 a to become the design surfaceand the rear surface 50 b in which the adhesive part 3 has been formed,from the front surface 50 a side, and the second unit 120 for supportingthe sheet member 50 from the rear surface 50 b side. The first unit 110and the second unit 120 are able to mold the main body part 11 spreadingin a flat plate shape portion of the sheet laminate 1, and the pair ofside wall parts 12B and 12C extending respectively toward the rearsurface 50 b side from the pair of mutually intersecting side parts 11 band 11 c of the main body part 11 by sandwiching the sheet member 50 andthen bending the sheet member 50. When the front surface is formed onthe flat surface part 20 corresponding to the main body part 11, thefirst side surface 21B corresponding to the side wall part 12B, thesecond side surface 21C corresponding to the side wall part 12C, and ina corner between the first side surface 21B and the second side surface21C; and has the third side surface 21E forming a roundness having apredetermined curvature, the first connecting surface 22B protruding andcurving toward the front surface side for connecting the flat surfacepart 20 and the first side surface 21B, the second connecting surface22C protruding and curving toward the front surface side for connectingthe flat surface part 20 and the second side surface 21C, and the thirdconnecting surface 22E protruding and curving toward the front surfaceside for connecting the flat surface part 20 and the third side surface21E, the first unit 110 supports the flat surface part 20, the firstside surface 21B, the second side surface 21C, and the third sidesurface 21E in a state where the first connecting surface 22B, thesecond connecting surface 22C, and the third connecting surface 22E areexposed.

Using a mold like the mold 100 makes it possible to execute amanufacturing method like that described above, and to obtain the sameoperation and effect.

The sheet laminate 1 is the sheet laminate 1 that is to be affixed to anadherent surface of an object and has the flat surface part 20 thatspreads out in a flat plate shape, the side surface 21 configured by abent edge of the flat surface part 20, and the connecting surface 22protruding and curving toward the front surface side between the flatsurface part 20 and the side surface 21, where the part configuring theflat surface part 20, the side surface 21, and the connecting surface 22is configured of the base material part 2 having the front surface thatis to become the design surface, and the rear surface on the sideopposite the front surface, an adhesive part 3 formed on the rearsurface of the base material part 2, and the release liner 4 coveringthe adhesive part 3 that can be peeled from the adhesive part 3.

Using a laminate like the sheet laminate 1 enables achieving anoperation and effect during manufacture having the same gist as themanufacturing method described above.

The sheet laminate 1 is provided with the main body part 11 forconfiguring the flat surface part 20, and the pair of side wall parts12B and 12C extending respectively toward the rear surface side from thepair of mutually intersecting side parts llb and 11 c of the main bodypart 11. The side surface 21 has the first side surface 21Bcorresponding to the side wall part 12B, the second side surface 21Ccorresponding to the side wall part 12C, and the third side surface 21Eformed in the corner between the first side surface 21B and the secondside surface 21C forming a roundness having a predetermined curvature.The connecting surface 22 has a first connecting surface 22B forconnecting the flat surface part 20 and the first side surface 21B, asecond connecting surface 22C for connecting the flat surface part 20and the second side surface 21C, and a third connecting surface 22E forconnecting the flat surface part 20 and the third side surface 21E. Themanufacturing method according to the present embodiment becomesparticularly noteworthy when the sheet laminate 1 having this type ofconfiguration is manufactured. The third side surface 21E forms aroundness protruding toward the front surface side, and the curvature ofthe roundness has a radius of 1 to 2000 mm.

In the example in FIG. 3(b), the third side surface 21H forms aroundness protruding toward the rear surface side, and the curvature ofthe roundness has a radius of 0.5 to 2000 mm.

The base material part 2 is covered by the biaxially extended protectivefilm 6. This makes it possible to protect a front surface of the basematerial part 2.

The release liner 4 is configured using a biaxially extended film. Thismakes it possible to reduce an impact on the release liner 4 duringpartial heating of the connecting surface.

For example, the adhesive part 3 is configured using an acrylicpressure-sensitive adhesive. For example, the base material part isconfigured using a polycarbonate.

The present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodimentsdescribed above.

In the embodiments described above, the sheet member 50 is provided inthe mold 100 after having been cut beforehand. However, an un-cut sheetmember that is not cut until it is supplied in the mold may also beused. For example, a cutting member 210 may be provided on an outercircumferential side of the third piece 121 of the first unit 110, asillustrated in FIG. 11 and FIG. 12. For example, a base material 250 ofa sheet member is cut by the cutting member 210 simultaneous topressurization in the third piece 121 to thus form the sheet member 50in a desired shape. Note that the cutting member 210 is retracted upwardafter the cutting, as illustrated in FIG. 12.

Note that in the embodiments described above, the connecting surface tobe partially heated was exposed from the mold. In addition, the firstunit has a piece for supporting the connecting surface, and maypartially heat the connecting surface through said piece. Specifically,as illustrated in FIG. 13, in a mold 300, the first unit 110 is providedwith a heating part 310 provided with a fourth piece 115 that makescontact with the connecting surface (first connecting surface, secondconnecting surface, and third connecting surface) 22, for heating thepart making contact, an insulating part 302 for insulating a spacebetween the flat surface part 20 and the heating part 310, and aninsulating part 301 for insulating a space between the side surface(first side surface, second side surface, and third side surface) 21 andthe heating part 310, and for insulating the insulating part 301. Theheating part 310 may be configured using a flow path, and the like, of aheating medium such as a heating wire, a liquid, a gas, or the like.

According to the description above, in the method for manufacturing thesheet laminate 1, partial heating is performed in the partial heatingstep through a part (the fourth piece 115) in the mold 300 that makescontact with the connecting surface 22. Furthermore, heat going to theflat surface part 20 and the side surface 21 is insulated in the partialheating step. This kind of configuration allows partial heating to beperformed while a shape is sustained because the connecting surface 22is supported by the fourth piece 115. Note that if the fourth piece 115does not have the heating part 310, the fourth piece 115 is retractedduring the partial heating step, and partial heating may be performed byexposing the connecting surface 22.

What is claimed is:
 1. A sheet laminate manufactured according to themethod comprising providing a sheet member having: a) a front surface tobecome a design surface and b) a rear surface on which an adhesive parthas been formed; bending an edge part of the sheet member by sandwichingthe sheet member from a front surface side and a rear surface side in amold to create the sheet laminate; and partially heating the connectingsurface after the side surface is molded in the said bending, andwherein the sheet laminate has a flat surface part spreading out in aflat plate shape, a side surface on which an edge part bent by saidbending is configured, and a connecting surface protruding and curvingtoward the front surface side between the flat surface part and the sidesurface wherein the connecting surface does not contact the mold duringthe partial heating, and partial heating is performed by applying heatto the connecting surface from outside the mold, wherein a partconfiguring the flat surface part, the side surface and the connectingsurface is configured of a base material layer having a front surfacethat is to become a design surface, and a rear surface on a sideopposite the front surface, an adhesive layer formed on the rear surfaceof the base material layer, and a release liner layer covering theadhesive layer that can be peeled from the adhesive layer.
 2. The sheetlaminate according to claim 1, further comprising: a main body part forconfiguring the flat surface part portion of the sheet laminate; and apair of side wall parts each extending respectively toward the rearsurface side from a pair of mutually intersecting side parts of the mainbody, wherein the side surface has a first side surface corresponding toone side wall part of the pair of side wall parts, a second side surfacecorresponding to the other side wall part of the pair of side wallparts, and a third side surface forming a roundness having apredetermined curvature formed in a corner part between the first sidesurface and the second side surface; and the connecting surface has afirst connecting surface for connecting the flat surface part and thefirst side surface, a second connecting surface for connecting the flatsurface part and the second side surface, and a third connecting surfacefor connecting the flat surface part and the third side surface.
 3. Thesheet laminate according to claim 2, wherein the third side surfaceforms the roundness protruding toward the front surface side, and acurvature of the roundness has a radius in the range of from about 1 mmto about 2000 mm.
 4. The sheet laminate according to claim 2, whereinthe third side surface forms the roundness protruding toward the frontsurface side, and a curvature of the roundness has a radius in the rangeof from about 0.5 mm to about 2000 mm.
 5. The sheet laminate accordingto claim 1, wherein the base material layer is covered by a biaxiallyextended protective film layer.
 6. The sheet laminate according to claim1, wherein the release liner layer is configured of a biaxially extendedprotective film layer.
 7. The sheet laminate according to claim 1,wherein the adhesive layer is configured using an acrylicpressure-sensitive adhesive.
 8. The sheet laminate according to claim 1,wherein the base material layer is configured using a polycarbonate.